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Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

The Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (MPHTM) is a public health degree with a specialty in infectious diseases, and especially those diseases found in tropical regions. The program prepares public health practitioners to plan and evaluate disease control and prevention programs, physicians to better treat and evaluate tropical diseases, or students to pursue medical school and other medical professions. The curriculum consists of core public health courses and specialty courses in the biological, medical, social, and epidemiological aspects of diseases that are more prevalent in tropical countries. Physicians are able to pursue a clinical focus of study and are eligible for the Certification Exam in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Traveler’s Health by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Students applying to master’s programs at SPHTM must meet the school’s general admission requirements and submit materials per the application requirements.

Students interested in the clinical focus of study must hold a MD, DO, DVM, equivalents or be concurrently enrolled in the Tulane University School of Medicine. Other qualified health professionals, such as RN, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Selected from courses offered within the department, school, or university in consultation with an academic advisor.

Additional Clinical Track Recommended Coursework

Physicians and other eligible health care professionals interested in deepening their knowledge of diagnoses and treatment of tropical diseases will take additional courses on the clinical aspects of tropical diseases. To be eligible for the Certification Exam in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Traveler’s Health offered by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, students are required to successfully complete the courses below.

TRMD 6310 Clinical Tropical Medicine (2)

TRMD 6340 Diagnostic Laboratory Methods in Microbiology (2)

TRMD 6360 Clinical Tropical Medicine Case Presentation (1)

Students in the clinical track must take Tropical Medicine Seminar (TRMD-7000) at least once to fulfill the specialty requirements.

Applied Practice Experience (SPHL 9980)

The Applied Practice Experience (APE) (formerly practicum) is a supervised practice experience conducted in an agency or organization external to the university to gain practical experience. The APE allows students to demonstrate attainment of at least five competencies, including at least 3 from the foundational competencies (CEPH Criterion D2). The APE is conducted after completion of the foundational courses. After identifying the APE setting and defining the competencies, students enter the information into Terra Dotta. An APE report is required that summarizes the field experiences.

Integrated Learning Experience (SPHL 7950)

All students must complete an Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) (formerly culminating experience) that demonstrates the synthesis of foundational and concentration competencies. Students in the MSPH in Biostatistics conduct a public health analysis.

All MPHTM students take courses in the SPHTM core (15 credits) and the tropical medicine foundation (11 credits). In addition, the student may then either focus on public health or clinical aspects of tropical medicine.

The public health focus includes courses on disease prevention and control, microbial disease in the tropics and impact evaluation (6 credits).

The clinical focus includes training in the diagnosis and treatment of tropical diseases (5 credits). Physicians completing these courses will be eligible to take the Certification Exam in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Traveler’s Health offered by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

All students in the program complete a 200-hour practicum to gain practical experience. The practicum is usually occurs after the completion of core courses.

The practicum is a planned, supervised practice experience in the field, designed to integrate and apply core and program knowledge while building skills in a practice setting. It culminates with a written practicum report and 3-way evaluation by the student, the advisor, and the preceptor of the practicum site.

Students can satisfy the practicum requirement by participating in a wide range of activities related to health care provision or implementation of disease control strategies. Students may find placement with a health agency, a clinical laboratory, or an individual health professional working on a project related to public health in the United States or abroad. Ideally, the practicum experience should be relevant to diseases prevalent in tropical or developing countries.

Students in the joint MD/MPHTM program will be assigned practica according to the regulations of the joint MD/MPH degree program.

The required culminating experience is the means by which students synthesize and integrate knowledge acquired through successful completion of course work. Students pursuing degrees in public health complete a public health analysis (PHA) to fulfil the culminating experience requirement. Through it, students demonstrate learned skills and analysis of real world problems in public health.

The PHA is a planned project that addresses a public health issue. Students should identify a specific issue, question, or problem related to tropical medicine and/or public health; then state goals and objectives related to this question or problem. The PHA can be based on research results generated by the student, analysis of a data set available to the student, or a search of the literature..